But Honey, Our Son's MarryingAn Imperial!
by ScribeAnimal
Summary: Padme Naberrie Skywalker and Anakin Skywalker look upon Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker.


"But Honey; Our Son's Getting Married…To An Imperial!"

Author: Haruo Chikamori

E-mail: hhchikamori

Rating: M

Classification:

Spoilers: Star Wars: Union

Summary: Padme Naberrie Skywalker and Anakin Skywalker look upon Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker.

Disclaimer: Star Wars is not mine. Even if I won the Lotto Max (our Canadian Lottery), I'd still only be 50 million richer and not the 4.05 Billion that was required by Disney to buy Lucasfilm. Well…that sucks.

For all the Jedi knew, Padme Amidala was not Force-sensitive so it flummoxed the kriff out of Yoda and the other Jedi Masters who had passed on as to why she was visible to them in the Force. As far as they knew Anakin Skywalker was the Force Strong one. Padme's and Anakin's children were both strong in the Force though their midichlorian count was not as strong as their father's. The Jedi suspected that Padme being non-Force-sensitive had diluted the Skywalker genes. But when they saw that Padme was visible to them; that the Force embraced her as it had the Jedi, they were now having second opinions and it was a subject of hot debate.

"Well, Darth here…" Mace Windu began, giving Anakin a glare. Windu still hadn't forgiven the former Sith for cutting off both his hands though he had regained them back in the Light of the Force. "didn't figure on his wife, that he really shouldn't have, actually having a midichlorian count, did he?"

"It's Anakin." Obi-Wan interjected.

"I really don't care who that gutter cookie thinks he is. Anything he says is tusker poop!" Windu responded, venom in his voice aiming another look of disgust at Anakin Skywalker.

"You got your hands back." Anakin sniped still nettled over the visions that he had seen through the Force. "Get over it."

"SILENCE!" the Jedi Grand Master roared as the Jedi were taken aback by the vehemence exhibited. Yoda glared at each and every Jedi in turn who were absolutely cowed. It was unthinkable for Master Yoda to lose his temper and it very rarely happened. When it did, the Council took notice and an air of quiet contemplation fell over the members. "Silence you will give me. Headache I have from your bickering. Know, we do not, why Anakin's wife Padme has a midichlorian count, when touch the Force, she cannot. Strange, this is." Yoda scrunched his face up in an air of concentration and closed his eyes gathering the Force to him, seeking answers which would not come. Padme's case was a unique one and one that required further deliberation.

Padme materialized. "Anakin…" she said. "I need you to come see this." She looked around at the assembled Council. "Excuse me, Masters but I require my husband's attention for a little while."

"Yes, Padme…" the Grand Master replied. "Take your husband, you may."

"Gutter cookie." Windu growled under his breath as Anakin walked past shooting Anakin yet another venomous look.

"Sleemo." Anakin snarled as the two locked eyes.

"I'm sure they really like each other." Obi Wan managed to say quietly to Evan Piell, the wizened old Jedi Master with one eye. The Lannik snorted in laughter.

"If you say so…I don't know but I believe Master Windu could stay mad forever." Piell replied.

"Now now…" Padme admonished Anakin as she drew her husband away from the gathered Jedi Council in the ethereal realm of the Force and gestured to the tableau that they beheld of a scene of Luke and Mara on the balcony of the Imperial Apartments that they resided in. Anakin looked closer to see that Jade woman and his son talking to each other. "I wanted you to see this. Since when is my son old enough to get married?" Padme asked archly.

"Uh…what?" Anakin stammered. "Well, according to Galactic records, it's been almost 10 years since the two met, they've been dancing around each other. I still can't believe that Luke is marrying that…that…_assassin_." His face held an impotent look of outrage as he spat out the final word with some distaste.

"She's beautiful." Padme said as Anakin looked at her with an _oh no, not you too _look.

"She's Palpatine's pawn." He grumbled.

"Palpatine is dead, my love." Padme said. "I don't believe she's under his control anymore."

"Listen…" Anakin shushed his wife. "I want to hear what Mara is talking about."

"Oh…look. Little Artoo…" Padme interjected as Anakin waved his hand palm out as if to say _shhhhh. _

"Of course, He must be part of the ceremony." Mara exclaimed happily as she looked down at Artoo who burbled happily.

"That's right. Keeping Threepio in line won't hurt either. So, did you find a dress you liked?" Luke said off-handedly changing the subject. He looked up at her from Artoo to lock eyes with his beloved.

"No…" Mara said. "But I did find a dress-maker I like. The gown will be up to her." Mara said, her green eyes tracing the outlines of her husband-to-be's face.

"There's no way to stop this…is there?" Anakin grumbled.

"No…" Padme interjected then gestured to Anakin to look as their son and Mara embraced each other, Mara's arms going eagerly around Luke's in a tender embrace as they leaned in closer to each other. Audibly they could hear Luke say.

"…she'll make it lovely…and you'll make it lovelier."

"Awwwww…" Padme said, a look of utter bliss on her face. "How romantic of him; Anakin, I think he gets it from you."

Mara reached up and drew Luke closer to her, their lips almost touching while she softly said "…and you'll make me the loveliest by taking me for your bride…" At this Anakin wretched, while Padme looked at him in annoyance.

"Anakin!"

"That is so disgustingly corny!" Anakin protested, looking at Padme. "I think I'm going to puke!"

"You are so childish!" Padme said, aiming a look at Anakin with no small measure of disgust. "That's our son and his wife-to-be, you know. Our daughter-in-law?"

"I couldn't even stand her when I was a Sith." Anakin exclaimed irately. "How do you think I'm going to tolerate her being my daughter-in=law?!" His protestations lessened to a disgruntled grumble. "It's taking all I can not to revert to being Darth Vader and Force-choking her."

"If I recall…correctly" Padme said archly giving her husband the long-suffering look that all wives perfect. "YOU Force-choked me too." Anakin felt about two inches tall. "Some place called Mustafar?" she said.

"But…I forgave you for that little indiscretion." She smacked him in the back of the head. Evidently she had been taking lessons from Yoda about corporeal manifestations. That hurt. "Anakin. I am your long-suffering wife who has tolerated a lot out of you; with you turning Sith. You listen and you listen to me good. You are going to tolerate Mara Jade, who will henceforth be referred to as _Mara Jade Skywalker_ and _your son's loving wife_." Anakin nodded his head like a bobbing tach. "Do you understand me, Anakin Skywalker."

"yes, dear." Anakin said penitently, head hanging low.

The Force shifted the scene to a scene that made Anakin's blood boil?

"You just disabled an assassin." Luke was saying to his wife-to-be.

"He was a kook." Mara said flippantly.

"No, he turns out he used to be an Imperial Guardsman." Luke interjected as he looked out the window pensively.

"Well, I didn't _disable_ him." Mara clarified as she looked at Luke with an air of innocence.

"Ruptured spleen, bruised liver, broken ribs…" Luke listed the litany of injuries. "fractured skull."

"See, nothing bacta can't fix." Mara said smugly.

"See…" Anakin turned to his wife who had her arms crossed looking at him. He said waving at the scene as if that supported his very perception of Mara. "She hasn't changed in the slightest! She's still the same violent ne'er-do-well that I remember under Palpatine."

"I think she's changed. She's willing to protect the New Republic and Luke. Anakin, she loves Luke." Padme replied. Anakin snorted.

The scene yet again shifted to later that same day. This Force vision thing from the other side was irritatingly fickle in its randomness. Luke and Mara were again on their porch, talking with each other.

"This will be forever, Mara." Luke was saying to the former assassin. The old familiar feelings of disgust still roiled up in Anakin's chest.

_How could Luke think of Mara Jade in that way. _ Anakin thought to himself. She was loyal only to Palpatine, all the times that Anakin had come into contact with her.

"Forever and always. Luke." Mara replied as they both kissed. Padme gave Anakin an indulgent look as he covered his eyes to avoid seeing that disgusting display of affection.

"Is it safe to look now?" he asked, his eyes still behind his hands.

"Yes, dear." Mara and Luke had stopped kissing and they were looking at each other with dreamy expressions on their face. It was nauseatingly sweet. Anakin just wanted to throw up.

"I love you, Mara and I'm so glad I found you." Luke was saying to his beloved.

Anakin rolled his eyes, groaning and got another smack in the back of the head from Padme. "OW!"

"I love you too, Luke, and remember, _I found you_." Anakin's eyebrows raised at that.

"How? Wait, I must have missed that." He hadn't been watching Luke's life straight through for the entirety of the ten years that had spanned since his final manifestation to Luke. "Where did she find him? How am I supposed to go back and see this for myself? OBI-WAN! MASTER YODA!" Padme shushed him. She was trying to listen in on the conversation.

"Yes, Mara…Oh, you were at the spa. You must have seen it. A gang of female swoopies came in and beat the daylights out of some guys from Champion Squadron at slingball." Luke said as he wrapped his arms around Mara.

"Really, dear?" Mara said innocently. "I must have missed it."

Anakin looked disgustedly over at the wafting clouds that made up the nebulous afterlife – the essence of the Force, so it was told and glowered at it. The scene shifted to a wedding scene – at a standoff between Luke, his son, and another man holding a trigger in his hand. He could see Luke standing in front of Mara Jade though the emotions rolling through Mara's mind was attacking to defend her beloved Luke. "We don't always have time to think." Luke was saying.

"That's Moff Takkar!" the Darth Vader in Anakin Skywalker was roiling now. "He dares to interrupt my son's wedding? I should…I should…" the monster in him was alive and dangerous looking to break through the curtain and rend and tear this upstart moff to pieces. _How dare he threaten my son!_

"Anakin. Your eyes are going yellow again." Padme admonished him gently. He subsided in a disgruntled huff. "Just watch. Watch how your son handles it. You can't always protect him."

"I should have, I mean, It occurs to me now that you, a Jedi Master, could have kept the button down on this deadman switch, no matter what." Moff Takkar admitted grudgingly.

"I could have." Luke admitted,

"You didn't. Why?" the surprised Moff gave Luke a look of disbelief that he wasn't thwarted in his attempt to destroy the New Republic with a computer virus.

"If I stopped you'd still be angry. If I let you stop yourself, a doorway to peace would open for you. You saw this as a travesty because by marrying Mara, I was taking an important icon from you, but this is about starting a new life, not ending an old one…"

"My son…" Anakin said to Padme. "He is wiser than I was. I think he gets that from you, my darling."

"Hush…Anakin, the vows are starting." Padme said quietly as they watched by virtue of the Force; their presence unbeknownst to anyone.

"Mara Jade, do you freely bind yourself to Luke Skywalker, to be his companion, partner, aide and comfort for all the days of your life?" The officiate-in-charge of the wedding proclaimed.

Anakin gazed into Mara's eyes to see what her response to Luke would be and saw nothing but love there. Maybe, just maybe there would be hope in this marriage.

"I do…" uttered Mara as she gazed into Luke's face.

"And you, Luke Skywalker, do you promise to forsake all others to be Mara's comfort and confidante, friend, lover and companion for your mortal days?"

"I do…" Luke said, his love for Mara clearly shown in his eyes shining through for all to witness.

"For a relationship that started with me trying to kill you," Anakin nearly choked on that part of the vow. "this has become more than I could have imagined. I have never felt more complete than now, knowing we will be together for eternity." Mara said, her face glowing more beautiful than ever, with the acceptance of her love for Luke written all over her face. Anakin couldn't believe it, Mara had really changed from the hard-bitten assassin that she used to be under Palpatine.

For a long moment Mara and Luke stood looking at each other before Luke started his half of the vows. "Well, Since Leia always wanted to kill Han, I knew where this could lead." That started the room cackling with laughter. Padme chuckled unseen.

"Were we ever like that?" Anakin asked.

"Oh…there were times…" Padme said. "Especially when you would go haring off on those silly escapades of yours."

"You were more than I deserve." Luke said, looking deeply into Mara's eyes. "All that I desire and all I need to feel whole. I love you, Mara."

"The rings please." The officiator asked Han who turned to Artoo who held the rings suspended in a force-field.

"Got them right here… Thanks, Artoo." Han replied.

"The rings are a symbol of your love unbroken, and shining. They show the galaxy the vows you make here today." Mara and Luke held each other's hands as they each slid the rings on each other's fingers exchanging loving looks as they did so. "You have exchanged vows and rings." The officiator continued. "I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Padme teared up as she wiped her eyes with one hand.

"Oh, Anakin…our son is now married." She whispered softly at her husband. "And Leia looks so happy with her husband too."

"I guess…" Anakin admitted. "I still think she could have done better than that smuggler though." He muttered.

"ANAKIN!"

****THE END****


End file.
